Record Reviews

JIMMY GIUFFRE ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE CAM JAZZ 1016 (Barcode: 8052405140425) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1985 - 1993 Released: 2012 This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary American clarinetist / saxophonist / composer Jimmy GiuffreFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Giuffre needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that his prolific output and a career stretching over five decades is a superb example of an Artists constantly developing and changing his perspective on his Art form. In his early days Giuffre played Swing and later on Cool, but since his revolutionary 1960s recordings he entered the Free Jazz realm, contributing some of its most interesting moments. The music included here includes three of his late recordings in a quartet with keyboardist Pete LevinFind albums by this artist, bassist Bob NieskeFind albums by this artist and drummer Randy KayeFind albums by this artist. The fourth album is in a trio format with legendary pianist Paul BleyFind albums by this artist and no less legendary bassist Steve SwallowFind albums by this artist, closing the circle of the early 1960s trio they played in together. Remastered, mini-sleeved, and with a great bargain price – this Box Set an absolute must for any serious Jazz collector. Side Note The Italian independent record label Black SaintFind albums on this label was founded by the music critic / author / producer Giacomo PellicciottiFind albums by this artist in 1975. It was taken over by the producer Giovanni BonandriniFind albums by this artist in 1978 and a year later (1979) a sister label, called Soul NoteFind albums on this label, was established. The twin labels were run by Giovanni and later his son Flavio BonandriniFind albums by this artist, until they were sold in 2008 to the Italian KEPACH Music Group, which already owned the CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, and which also bought another Italian independent record label Dischi Della QuerciaFind albums on this label. The mission of the Black Saint / Soul Note labels was to record and document the Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde scene, mostly from the US but also from Europe, which continued between mid 1970s and late 1990s and produced a staggering collection of almost 550 albums recorded by world's most important Jazz innovators active at the time, providing an opportunity to American (mostly Afro-American) musicians, who would have never managed to make these recordings at home, ridden by racism, alienation and closed-mindedness. Without these two labels most of this fantastic human creativity would have been never documented. However, the Black Saint / Soul Note Box Sets produced under the CAM JazzFind albums on this label moniker are an archetypal example of how good intentions turn sour. Although these new editions often bring back to life some of the best music ever made on this planet, which in many cases has been lost in the tides of time and was unavailable on the market for ages, they suffer from an unforgivable disregard to the essence of cultural values and general sloppiness, contrary to human decency, which requires us to treat our cultural legacy with respect and loyalty. These Box Sets have no booklet which presents researched historical background and exact discographical information of the albums included, and most importantly an overview of the music and its meaning and contribution to the Jazz Art form. Although the original LP sleeves are reproduced, the information is in most cases too small to be readable at all. In short the fact that these Box Sets are meant to be inexpensive, does not mean that they have to be cheap!

Updated: 12/04/2020Posted:

CD 4 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

Z3 ~ PALE FIRE WHYPLAYJAZZ 014 (Barcode: 4050486906163) ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by the trio called Z3Find albums by this artist, led by Austrian pianist / composer Philip ZoubekFind albums by this artist and including German clarinetist Benjamin WeidekampFind albums by this artist and Swiss bassist Christian WeberFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Zoubek. Zoubek points to the legendary Jimmy GiuffreFind albums by this artist trio with pianist Paul BleyFind albums by this artist and bassists Steve SwallowFind albums by this artist as the source of inspiration to create this trio, and many points of reference are indeed present, although there is no attempt to directly follow or copy the work of Giuffre and his cohorts. The piano "plays the first fiddle" on this album, clearly navigating the music towards a melodic progression, which is followed by the clarinet and bass in a series of tête-à-tête and ménage a trios encounters. The overall atmosphere is completely relaxed and non-aggressive, which always helps in an Improvised Music environment, creating a true close encounter between the trio members. Weidekamp plays magnificently here and his beautiful tone reminds me of the performances by my beloved Harold RubinFind albums by this artist. Short phrases and delicate breathing-like uttering, little melodic statements and fragile triplets create an ornate aura around the piano stating the melody and the overall result is simply magical. Weber, who is one of the busiest and most prolific bassists on the European Improvised Music scene, with three solo albums and dozens of recordings to his credit, displays a certain measure of respect and distance, playing sparingly but superbly on time and exactly where his contribution is needed. This kind of subtle support is amongst the most difficult contributions a musician can offer to his partners. Together the trio creates a continuous flow of excellent and fascinating music, which keeps the listener on his toes from start to finish. In fact this is definitely one of the best releases on the first-rate WhyPlayJazzFind albums on this label label to date. There is definitely nothing pale about the fire found on this album, I assure you!

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend